Duel between Allies of Old
As the summer sun rose above the mountains, a mysterious man appeared from a senkaimon-esque portal, his face obstructed from view by a large mask. While he walked out from his personal portal, the man carried the sheath of his blade in his left hand, just in case something went a muck while he was in this unfamiliar mountain range... Across the mountains there is a rushing waterfall spewing out water beautifully. As water drops everywhere a man lay using the technique known as jinzen. He then opens his eyes and stand staring upward as he notices a familiar presence hovering nearby. He then waits several seconds as the water splases in front of him and the burning heat of the sun dries the man's captains haori that lays nearby him. "Better go check it out" the man said happily as he flew off driking a bottle of sake. Much like the other man, the stranger to the mountains feels a presence he hasn't felt since... the winter war! "This spiritual signature... there's no mistaking it; this is the reiryoku of the nit-wit Yasashī Sora. I guess I'll have to pay him a visit." the mystery man thought as he disappeared in search of young Sora. Sora then smirked happily as he took in more drinks of the sake bottle placed in his hand. "I'm alot stronger than I was before..." Sora murmered aloud. He then shunpo'd back grabbing his captain's haori and stared at it closely. After several seconds he dropped it to the ground in shame, took another drink of sake, and began to walk away slowly. While the Captain walked away from his prized haori, the mysterious man appeared before him, his mask still present. "Why, if it isn't Yasashī Sora. Been awhile, eh?" he asked, a slight mocking tone in his voice. Sora looked closely at the man. A familiar presence struck Sora yet he could not feel anything from this man, no spiritual pressence but a familiar presence, one that Sora feels that he has seen before. "Sor-sorry I don't believe I know you...but may I ask your name" Sora asked puzzled. "Oh! Maybe...Just maybe I've seen you before. Drinking screws my head up ya know." Sora then took one final gulp of sake before closing the bottle and concealing it. "You seem to know me. How?" Sora finally asked awaiting a answer from the masked man. "Don't you remember? Well, we fought during the winter war against Wonderweiss, but there were quite a few people battling that monstrosity." the mystery man said, a false tone of disappointment present. "Wait you where the guy with that white haired shorty....ummm...Toshiro......so you are...Shiba" Sora then stood remembering the man and how he was soundly defeated by the moster Wonderweiss. "Oh! Yeah I remember you. You did better than I did against that freak. You may have done better than me back then but you have no idea what I am capable of now!" Sora said as he went to Shiba side nudging him with his elbow to fight him. Removing his mask, Shiba laughed. "Sure, let's have a spar - for old time's sake." Appearing several meters behind where he once stood, the Zhijun clansman unsheathed his blade and awaited his opponent's move. "Damn. You really have grown since last time I saw you. Back then....." Sora then nostagically looked off into the distance before unsheathing his sword. "You spirit energy is massive. Just what I expect....I hope you truly have gotten stronger or else.....you'll lose this fight Shiba" Sora then stuck his Zanpaktou in the ground with stabbing it into the earth. "Lets see if you can force my into using my Zanpaktou." Sora then jumped at Shiba unleashing his special hakuda attack, the Senkotsu. With a sudden burst of speed Sora unleashed a attack that seemed like thousands. But Shiba had already appeared behind his old ally, a smirk across his face. "More like let's see if you can make me use my zanpakutō." the blue-haired shinigami remarked, his voice quite mocking. As Sora used his senkotsu technique, Shiba utilized this moment of weakness to send a powerful kick towards his opponent. Sora then turned blocking and absorbing the impact with his arm. "Damn. You just might be tougher than me." Sora thought cautiously as his arm nearly snapped. Sora then shunpo'd above and came crashing down from above again using his Senkotsu. However, Shiba had once again evaded. "You can't use the same trick twice in one fight. It makes your moves that much easier to predict, although it's not that hard to predict your moves anyways." the Zhijun clansmen said, a noticable chuckle in his voice. Using this as an opening, Shiba unsheathed his zanpakutō and attempted a slash at his ally of old. Unable to reach his Zanpaktou Sora threw his open hand at the sword. Allowing himself to be stabbed in the hand Sora let out a slight chuckle. Sora then tightened his grip as blood trickled down his arm and it was seen that the blade of the sword has struck through his hand. "Could you predict that..." While Shiba was caught Sora unleashed Senkotsu once again. "You never learn, do you?" Shiba asked from above his predictable opponent, his tone considerably more mocking than previously. "If you're gonna continue to use senkotsu, you're not gonna get far in this battle, or in life." he mused, wishing he had his blade that was stuck in his adversary's palm. No matter, he could easily overpower Yasashī with his hand-to-hand prowess alone, even if it wasn't his favorite form of combat. "You're confidence is gonna get you killled one day friend. And besides you haven't showed me that you deserve to be hit with any other move of mine. Show me what you can really do......Back then in Soul Society you weren't this arrogant. If you think you can win...." Sora then pulled the Zanpaktou out of his palm and tossed the blade toward Shiba. "Then show me!" Sighing, Shiba laughed. "Senkotsu is a powerful attack, so why would you waste it on someone not worthy of fighting? I think you didn't think that last little rant through, now did ya? But, I guess I'll have to get somewhat serious." he said, picking up his nodaichi. However, he sheathed his nodaichi and pulled out a new blade; it had a goldenrod-coloured blade and no tsuba. "Let's have a little fun with Tenkō, shall we?" he continued, awaiting his opponent's next move, which the Zhijun clansman immediately believed would be another senkotsu attack. "Nice you have two blades. Yep. You're definitely stronger than before." Sora then smirked as he bent his legs. He then walked toward his Zanpaktou grabbing at it and clinging to it tightly. "Let's go Shiba" Sora shouted happily. "When two warriors clash blades....they learn something about each other. What can I learn from you." Sora thought as he stared at Shiba. "I'll just have to make you go all out" Sora howled as he grabbed his Zanpaktou's hilt pulling on the blade and running at Shiba. "You won't get far, Sora." Shiba replied. Immediately following, he whispered "forged from the heavens,"'' causing a torrent of spiritual energy to release itself from Tenkō's steel bindings. Without another word, Tenkō's blade extended, the steel about to pierce Sora's stomach. As the blade drew closer Sora grabbed the blade. Unable to comprehend the speed of the attack Sora was violently pierced in the right side of his stomach. As blood trickled down Sora hand and stomach, he gritted his teeth containing the pain of the attack. As Sora body shook and shivered in pain he stared at the blade in his body. "What the......I-I couldn't even see it. Dammit..." Sora then jumped back removing the blade. "It's to fast to stop and to strong to block.....I was hoping... I wouldn't have to do this. Drink..Suiyodōke." Sora then smiled as he held his bleeding stomach in pain. Without a word Sora's body was outlined in a green reiatsu. "This is my ultimate defense '''Santatchi."' "You will learn soon enough that that technique means nothing against Tenkō." Retracting the blade, Shiba swung the goldenrod-coloured blade horizontally, it quickly beginning to extending. "Perhaps he'll get bifurcated. Now that's exciting." the man thought, his spirit rising with every move. As the blade closed in on Sora his spirit energy rose and the green energy around him grew larger. He then grabbed his stomach in agony and began to speak with pain in his voice. "I said ultimate defense" Sora murmered. As the blade made contact with Sora nothing happened. "It seems I can't melt your blade. That's dissapointing" Sora said looking at Shiba smiling. Noticing slight burn marks on Sora's arms, Shiba laughed as he retracted his blade. "Hah, even if it is an ultimate defense, it seems to be doing more damage to you than you're doing to me. It seems your defense is merely a double-edged sword. What a pity, I guess you'll kill yourself before I can do it myself." he said nonchalantly. Raising his blade once more, Shiba awaited his opponent's next move before he decided on a new one. "Oh! You noticed that burn huh? I was hoping to hide that." Sora then began laughing as the burns on his body became more severe, he hid the pain with laughter. "Well now that I have a moment of your time. Tell me Shiba what've you been up to.." Sora said with suspicion in his voice. He then began walking closer to Shiba. "You should answer my question for this gets outta hand!" Annoyed by his old ally's demands, Shiba scoffed Sora off, slashing with Tenkō once again. "It will get out of hand if you continue to demand things from me, Yasashī Sora!" he yelled, wishing that he could just finish this quickly. Once again Sora stopped Tenkō's attack with his bare hand. "I am Captain of the 10th Division Yasashii Sora. See I've been doing good these past years." Sora then vanished only to reappear moments later beside Shiba. Sora then slashed his blade at Shiba. Caught noticibly off-guard, Shiba attempted his own slash, but Sora's blade had cut into the Zhijun clansman too quickly. Flying forwards, Shiba turned towards Sora, hand propped up on his side to stop the bleeding, and launched Tenkō the fastest the blade could ever move: ten times the speed of sound... Sora could only watch as he witnessed the blade reach him. As blood trickled to the ground Sora kneeled on the ground one hand supporting him up and another holding his shoulder. "Damn." Sora mumbled as he held tighter on to his injury. "I can't get off guard. I have to focus or else my Santatchi will fail me....And if that happens I'm d-dead" Sora gulped as jumped into the sky removing Tenkō from his shoulder and jumping above Shiba. "You're blade may be fast but how fast are you! Hakidasu!" Out of Sora's mouth came a waterfall of a green liquid that burned the ground on impact.